iOS 4.2 available for iPad in November

An update for the operating system used on Apple's mobile devices will be available for the iPad in November, chief executive Steve Jobs has announced.

While iPhones and iPod Touches will get the iOS 4.1 update next week, iPad users — who currently use iOS 3.2.2 — must wait until November to get the iOS 4.2 update.

"4.2 is going to come a little later this year; it's all about the iPad," Jobs told an audience at a launch event on Wednesday. "We're bringing everything from iOS 4.1 to iPad."

The new operating system will have Print Center, a feature that allows wireless printing. Users will also be able to drag and drop icons into folders for the first time. Different applications — for example, a music player and an internet browser — will be able to run concurrently. There will also be multi-threaded email, allowing emails to be grouped by sender. Apple is also to rebrand its Air Tunes music-streaming functionality as "Air Play". iPad users will be able to stream audio, video, and photos over Wi-Fi, said Jobs.

In addition, Apple launched a music social network called Ping at its event. Users will be able to build networks of friends, along with playlists based on friends' listening habits. iOS 4.2 will be available as an upgrade at no charge, Jobs added.